Ian Stokes, Ph.D., a professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation emeritus at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the international Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) at the society’s annual meeting in Lyons, France, in September.

The SRS Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented to senior members of the Scoliosis Research Society with a distinguished history of dedicated service and commitment to the society and the field of spinal deformity research and care.

After graduating in Engineering Science from Cambridge University in 1971, Stokes performed research on the biomechanics of the forefoot for his 1975 Ph.D. from Polytechnic of Central London.

Stokes joined the faculty of the University of Vermont in 1980. His primary research interest is in problems of the spine, including muscle function around the lumbar spine and spinal deformity and growth plate biomechanics, with an emphasis on using biomechanical modeling and simulation. He has had close collaborative ties with the UVM’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Department of Physical Therapy, the Sainte-Justine Hospital and the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Arts et Metiers in Paris.

Stokes has published more than 125 articles in peer-reviewed journals in the course of his career. He was named a University Scholar in 2006-2007.